Ericsson wins INDYCAR SERIES opener, Palou 8th in American Legion Honda in Firestone Grand Prix

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding was an impressive start to the season for Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR), and a great showcase for The American Legion’s “Be the One” veteran suicide-prevention initiative.

Off the track, The American Legion’s activation display in the Turn 5 Speed Zone had steady foot traffic all weekend, with veterans able to learn about American Legion advocacy, get assistance with their benefits and receive a thank you for their service.

And on the track, four CGR drivers finished in the top 11, three of those featuring American Legion branding – and one, Marcus Ericsson, taking the lead on Lap 97 to win the series opener.

Ericsson’s teammate, Alex Palou, drove The America Legion No. 10 finish to an eighth-place finish after starting the race seventh. Palou ran in the top 10 almost the entire race and also recorded the fastest lap of the day – 105.348 miles per hour – on the race’s 68th lap.

“It was a tough day for us. Very frustrating,” Palou said via CGR media release. “We tried some different stuff on strategies but did a couple of mistakes and it cost us quite a lot. The car was fast so we just need to get together again, get ready for (the RPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway) and we're in the fight. It's going to be a great season for sure."

Ericsson, sporting American Legion branding and starting the day in the fourth-place qualifying position, managed to stay away from the multiple incidents that resulted in five wrecks during the course of the race. He took the lead with four laps to go when race leader Pato O’Ward slowed suddenly exiting Turn 14 when his engine lost torque momentarily due to a brief misfire in the plenum chamber of his powerplant. Ericsson would not relinquish the lead, winning by 2.4113 seconds in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

“I feel bad for Pato for having the issue, but that’s racing,” Ericsson said via INDYCAR media release. "You need to get there to the finish line. We were having such a good weekend. The car was fantastic all the way through. We were hunting him down, putting the pressure on, and that’s when things happen. It was a hell of a start to the season.”

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon finished third in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while Marcus Armstrong, a new addition to CGR, made an impressive INDYCAR SERIES debut with an 11th-place finish. He was able to improve from his starting spot by two positions in his No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda that also carried American Legion branding.

Off an early restart, Armstrong was hit from behind by David Malukas, who received a drive-through penalty for making contact with the CGR driver. Armstrong was forced to pit because of a tire puncture from the contact.

“That was a good one considering what happened at the beginning … from then on it was always an uphill battle,” Armstrong said. “The boys did a really good job, we had really good pace, and we got some decent points.

"First race under my belt, it was pretty crazy. There was a lot of crashing, a lot of chaos. Just trying to keep my nose clean after that initial hit with Malukas. It was a pleasure, the car was mega, as you can see with Marcus and Scott. That will be us soon."

Earlier in the day, CGR developmental driver Kyffin Simpson – carrying the Legion’s “Be the One” message on his No. 21 car – took 10th in the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Simpson was able to qualify the car fifth in a solid opening weekend.

Throughout the weekend, The American Legion’s “Be the One” activation display caught the eye of both the hosts and the president of one of the world’s most hallowed racing venues. The official Twitter account of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg shared both the location and mission of the display to kick off the weekend.

And J. Douglas Boles – president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the site of the Indianapolis 500 – tweeted out on Sunday morning “Pretty cool what the @AmericanLegion is doing @IndyCar races this year! This activation helps thank and celebrate our military vets! If you’re a veteran at one of our races this year – stop by and let us help you make (your) time at the race track a great one. BeTheOne.org.”